Carol Blackmar began her tenure as the head golf coach at Texas
A&M – Corpus Christi in 2002. She also served two years
as the department’s Senior Woman Administrator and has
recently returned to that role.

The highlight of her career as head coach came in the spring of
2009, when Blackmar guided her Islanders to the Southland
Conference Championship and their first-ever trip to the NCAA
Regional Tournament in their third year in the league. She was
named the Southland Conference Coach of the Year following her
team's dramatic run to the title.

Throughout her time as head coach, A&M – Corpus
Christi has had seven All-Southland Conference honorees, in
addition to a pair of players named the conference’s Newcomer
of the Year. The Islanders have finished in the league’s top
six every year at the Conference Championships and have notched
three top-four finishes in the six years as a member of the
conference.

The team has also been successful off the course, consistently
delivering in the classroom as well. The team earned recognition
from the NCAA for its perfect four-year APR scores in 2012, 2013
and 2014. In recent years, the Islanders have had a player named to
the Southland All-Academic Team, with Ryann White (2011) and
Courtney Peeler (2010) earning the honors.

Blackmar has also been a fixture of the Corpus Christi golf
community in her time in the city. She has won over a dozen ladies
club championships at the Corpus Christi Country Club. Blackmar and
her husband, Phil, have also partnered with a multitude of
charitable organizations in the city, including aligning with
Triumph Over Kids Cancer for a fundraiser in February 2014.

She has also served on the NCAA Division I Golf Committee since
the 2011-12 academic year, taking part in the selection process for
the NCAA Championships as well as working the regional and national
championships.

The 2013-14 Islanders squad battled adversity to post its best
finish of the year at the 2014 Southland Championship. Limited by
injuries to four or five players for most of the season - including
two freshmen - the Islanders nonetheless had several strong
accomplishments. As a team, A&M-Corpus Christi rallied at the
conference championship, finishing in sixth place and within
striking distance of the top three. On an individual level, junior
Vanessa Johnson provided an impressive feat, setting a school
record with her 67 in the second round of the Pat Bradley
Invitational.

In 2012-13, the Islanders posted five of their top 10 rounds in
school history, including a school-record 292 in the first round of
the 2013 Southland Championship. Another highlight was the team's
second-place finish at the Harold Funston Invitational, when it
twice broke the previous school record and posted three rounds of
298 or better. Johnson was also
named Second Team All-Southland Conference, having taken second
place at the Southland Championships as an individual. It marked
the highest finish by an Islander in the Championships since the
school joined the league. Nikki Dunn earned honorable mention from
the league as well.

In 2010-11, the Islanders played host to the Southland
Conference Championship at Corpus Christi Country Club, and earned
a fourth-place finish as a team. Junior Ryann White was named
Second Team All-Conference for her efforts on the season, as she
led the team with a 75.9 stroke average and posting five top-10
finishes, including third at the Championship. Sophomore Nikki Dunn
was named Southland Newcomer of the Year as well, after finishing
second behind White with her 77.6 average.

The 2009-10 season saw Texas A&M – Corpus Christi take
a fifth-place finish at the Southland Championship, as White and
Courtney Peeler were both honored by the league. Peeler earned
second team laurels, while White was given honorable mention for
her efforts. Peeler had five top-15 finishes on the season and led
the team with a 77.1 average.

During the 2008-09 season, A&M-Corpus Christi finished in
the top five in six out of 10 tournaments. The team showed
incredible balance with four players earning top-10 finishes
through the course of the season. Three players Ashley Olynick,
Ashley Watkins and Courtney Peeler had average rounds below 79.
Watkins led the way for the Islanders as she placed second as an
individual at the league tournament earning second-team
All-Southland Conference honors, while Courtney Peeler's birdie
putt on 18 capped an Islander rally.

In 2007-08, A&M-Corpus Christi placed sixth at the SLC
Championships. Watkins led the Islanders placing ninth and was
named the Southland Conference Newcomer of the Year. Olynick was an
honorable mention All-SLC selection after finishing second in two
separate tournaments.

In 2006-07, the team enjoyed its first season in the Southland
Conference placing fourth in their first conference tournament.
Mary Carmen Betancourt led the way with a third-place finish and
was an All-SLC selection. Leading up to the first SLC tournament,
the Islanders had a strong campaign as a whole. The team placed
fifth or better in four of the nine tournaments it competed in
prior to the conference tournament.

The Islanders recorded top-10 finishes in all six tournaments
during Blackmar’s initial year at the helm in 2002-03. In
addition, the team also placed in the top five in three
tournaments, including a third-place finish at the Lady Eagle
Invitational and a third-place tie at the Marilynn Smith/Sunflower
Invitational. Her first team was led by Ashlie Simmons, who posted
the best single-round score by an Islander with a pair of 69s.
Simmons also owns the lowest career average (75.4).

In her second year with A&M-Corpus Christi in 2003-04,
Blackmar guided the team to four top-five finishes as well as two
tournament victories. During the 2004-05 season, Blackmar led the
Islanders to three top-five performances. Among those top-five
results was a third-place finish at the Texas-Pan American Bronc
Invitational. In the 2005-06 campaign, A&M-Corpus Christi had
four top-five finishes that included a third-place finish at the
North Texas Invitational, where Betancourt won medalist honors in
her debut.

Blackmar, a native of Richardson, lettered four years in golf at
the University of Texas, where she earned a bachelor's degree in
computer science in 1980. During her collegiate career, the
Longhorns participated in four Association of Intercollegiate
Athletics for Women (AIAW) championships. With Blackmar (formerly
Bragdon) on the roster, Texas posted three top-10 efforts at the
national meet, including a tie for third at the 1977-78 event.

As a junior in college, Blackmar got her first shot at a
professional tournament, qualifying and playing in the 1978 U.S.
Women's Open held in Indianapolis. Following graduation, she
finished second at the 1980 Texas State Women's Amateur and later
that year played in her second U.S. Open Championship in Nashville,
Tenn.

During her prep career at J.J. Pearce High School in Richardson,
Blackmar qualified for the UIL State Championships in consecutive
seasons (1975 and 1976).

Blackmar’s husband, Phil, is a former touring PGA
professional who is now a member of the PGA Champions Tour and also
has worked as an analyst for television golf coverage. He also
serves as a volunteer assistant coach for the Islanders. The
Blackmars have four adult children and one grandson.